I was thinking the below but I am convinced I know the master will is not to make divisions. He doesn’t want me to make Protestants have no hope so I am going to stay just as Christian
I could be orthodox if I can accept Catholics are maybe true too but otherwise you are forcing me to believe what you have not shown me that orthodoxy is only true and I would be insincere.
If God did not have a purpose for divisions and wanted Catholicism to be the teacher of the faith but accept orthodox He could deliver to the apostolic fathers that Peter and his successors were the teachers of the faith but one only has to agree with them in so far as they keep the truth or if He wanted only orthodoxy to be true He could have fully supported them
But perhaps God did not want divisions to be an obstacle of salvation if he was to teach orthodoxy only is true (which I know people teach that now but how do we know others taught that before and orthodoxy may not have a concept that one always knows the truth of things but it will be guided to all it needs to know and it can not contradict the apostolic fathers but divisions came after ) because others could teach a wrong faith and others could become in ignorance of the true faith so people may not follow God because they are concerned about others who were ignorant of the true faith for perhaps we dont have a teaching of ignorance not being an excuse in orthodoxy but as long as one wanted to join the church they were accepted. Catholicism is not definitely the true church though it has support so it does not have justification that all should join it. God could have justified that all be orthodox but He neither wanted that either
Though one could have reason to doubt peter being head as he never seemed as needed to teach anyone it does not mean it could still not be a possible position but we can’t prove as Paul went to see Peter as he was head and maybe oversaw the church as he said as Paul wrote some things hard to understand which people twist to their own destruction the apostles were working good on their own but I suppose they could have been taught by Peter by letters or when they join if there is something the Lord told him to teach he could have been their head
If one can prove that the fathers did support the Position of primacy of Peter as teacher while also accepting orthodox that would help
We have this quote apparently from st Jerome that Abbe Guettee mentions but I downloaded that book online and that is mentioned nowhere but it is still possible they saw the pope as augustine shows to have primacy among the disciples when he teaches the true faith but he does not always so the church is built on the faith of Peter and he has primacy to have that faith that is if he exercises his gift he can have that faith but the church is built on the faith so if one agrees with the faith in the essentials that are true he is in the church but the current Roman church does not teach that So orthodox could still be in communion with the ancient Roman church.
St. Jerome represents St. Paul as saying: “I am in nothing inferior to Peter; for we were ordained by the same God for the same ministry.” [St. Jerome, Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians, cited Abbe Guettee, The Papacy; clearly, if inferior in nothing (in nullo), then equal in every thing.]
Maybe Cyprian taught deserting the chair of peter is not being in unity with the faith of the pope when it is orthodox the pope having a primacy so there is one church that consists of Rome and others and the pope should have a leadership position but he is not infallible as Ambrose said Peter is master that is he makes the decisions but it should be in agreement with others if it is orthodox but as the church stopped being united with the east in requiring one to accept the infallibility of the pope the church of peter the pope is no longer teaching the truth about everything but in what he teaches one should accept or chair of peter is concept of accepting the true faith within the church that others in the church show is the most right and all those who speak the truth have Peter faith and therefore sit in his chair or agree what is true and in the church as Ambrose said faith is the foundation of the church not whether one accepts church as built on Peter
Therefore the church of peter is all those who agree with the true faith which consists of orthodox and catholic because it is divided now. But some still may think the rock is the pope because of his position because of some other quotes and that Jerome called Damasus the rock some may have believed that for a time so Catholics have justification for their faith but it is not necessarily true and the faith of all the fathers. Jerome May have meant because Rome was the place that was to preserve orthodoxy and it did at that time so it was the rock then or because Damasus did or the pope is the rock and able to teach truth if he exercises his gift he may also be able to declare orthodox only has to accept faith if God leads him to say so but He has not he is just kept from error doesn’t mean he is always guaranteed to know anything but I don’t believe catholicism is necessarily true and orthodox could be and I think likely God accepts both but I can’t teach that as I can not know if orthodoxy is the only true faith but I don’t know it is not
Augustine once confesses the rock as Peter and in another not but he believed he had a primacy over the disciples and it might mean all bishops of right faith are the rock because of their faith and they have power to loose and bind that is if they say the truth God will loose it and one must still go to them as Peter did have the keys specially in the first church as he was appointed to preach but the power to loose and bind was given to all the apostles. Atleast Ambrose seems to think Peter does not have authority through his rank that would make him say the right things but if he does say the right thing he must be obeyed and it is not certain it refers to the pope but all right believing Christians which is not got alone but which is found when the church agrees together or atleast if it errs sometimes it refers to those who teach the truth I don’t know if a clergy has better ability to find the truth for if one has the Holy Spirit he should know
"As soon as Peter heard these words,'Whom say ye that I am', remembering his place he exercised this primacy, a primacy of confession, not of honour, a primacy of faith, not of rank." St. Ambrose, "De In Som Sacr." 4:32
Faith is the foundation of the Church, for it was NOT OF THE PERSON but of the faith of St Peter that is was said that the gates of hell should not prevail against it, it is the confession of faith that has vanquished hell. Jesus Christ is the Rock. He did not deny the grace of His name when he called him Peter, because he borrowed from the rock the constancy and solidity of his faith. Endeavor then thyself to be a rock - thy rock is thy faith and faith is the foundation of the Church. If thou art a rock, thou shall be in the Church, for the Church is build upon the rock" ~St Ambrose, On the Incarnation.
For neither did Peter, whom first the Lord chose… when Paul disputed with him afterwards about the circumcision, claim anything to himself unsolently, nor arrogantly assume anything, so as to say that he held a primacy, and that he ought to be obeyed by novices and those lately come. Cyprian, Epistle LXX concerning the baptism of heretics.
In the administration of the Church each bishop has the free discretion of his own will, having to account only to the Lord for his actions. None of us may set himself up as bishop of bishops., nor compel his brothers to obey him; every bishop of the Church has full liberty and complete power; as he cannot be judged by another, neither can he judge another (Cyprian’s opening address to the Council of Carthage. …
“The Church is built upon THE ONE WHOM PETER CONFESSED when he said, ‘You are the Christ , the Son of the Living God’. That is how Peter came to be called the rock, and he REPRESENTED THE PERSON OF THE CHURCH WHO IS BUILT UPON THIS ROCK AND WHO HAS RECEIVED THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. Indeed, Christ did NOT say to Peter, ‘You are rock (petra)” but ‘You are Peter (Petrus). For THE ROCK (PETRA) WAS CHRIST whom he CONFESSED, as does THE WHOLE CHURCH, and he Simon, received the name of Peter” St Augustine, Retractationes I, XXI,
“Christ is the ROCk who granted to His Apostles that they should be called rock. God has founded His Church on this rock, and it is from this Rock [Christ] that Peter has been named” ‚ St. Jerome
